


Just us and the stars overhead

by CoteTR



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Is that still a thing?, lots of hugs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 13:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8670220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoteTR/pseuds/CoteTR
Summary: Opal never really knows when she will be needed. However is fairly simple to get why. But today? She doesn’t know why she is being.Or what she is doing.-Set between Nightmare hospital and Catch and release-





	

Opal never really knows _when_ she will be needed. Wherever she is, somewhere she can’t really explain in words, it’s easy to lose the track of time and whatever is happening around with her components. So whenever she came to be is in a sudden appearance and a bit confusing experience.

However is fairly simple to get _why_ she is needed. Shoot that monster, reach that item, lift this thing –carefully please-, save Steven or show off to the little boy when she can. Is not that hard to figure it out, really. When the situation is too confusing, some part of her explains what she must do (more often than not, the other component of her interrupts the one talking and she gets even more confused and in the worst moments, a bit unstable) but is not really hard to make Opal do anything. She is nice like that.

Still, is easy for her to forget exactly what she _should_ be doing. It’s feels amazing to be herself again. To be as tall like a tree, to feel stronger than any of her gems could ever be, and be as nimble and flexible as she can be. When both Amethyst and Pearl feel good about themselves and confidence overflows through her is literally the best sensation Opal could ever hope to achieve. That plus some praise here and there, is never bad to get a little recognition and a pat in the back from those she cares about, right?

Yet, in that wonder of being again she might fail to recall the real reason why she is there on the first place. Thank the stars that Steven got the Beetle for her or she would have been more ashamed to look at Garnet next time than Amethyst or Pearl ever were.

But today

She doesn’t know why she is _being_.

Or what she is doing.

Opal takes a look around before anything. She is somewhere out, not in the temple and not even close to it for what she manages to notice. There are lots of grass, mountains and some trees and flowers here and there. Is the middle of the night too, so that might help the fact that she might be lost. But then again, behind her is a warp pad, so not that lost it seems.

After a little stretch and a long intake of breath, she asks herself what she is doing today. She sees no monster, no item and no Steven around, so she might need some help to figure it out.

The answer is not what she expected.

It is a pause, some internal discussion that she can’t make all of it for some reason. They don’t answer her for too long and Opal is about to ask again -in case they all forgot she did, is not all her fault that forgetfulness is a thing-

“Go get Garnet”

“She, um… need a hand”

‘Oh, good thing I got four’, she thinks to herself, proud at her own fusion joke. Where is Steven when she says funny things like this? She could totally take Sardonyx on a joke competition.

It is then when she notices; Amethyst and Pearl are strangely quiet today. With a thought like that at least one of her would have complain or at least hear a laugh from the other. But nothing came. Not even an exasperated sigh. No ‘I know right’.

No nothing.

If it wasn’t that she is aware that she is a fusion of two gems –even if sometimes she _does_ forget- she would have believe she was all alone.

“Is something wrong?” Opal asks quietly to both of them.

“Just- ” Amethyst starts, somehow sounding angry and sad and scared all at the same time.

“Please Opal, go to Garnet” Is Pearl who continues, sounding as conflicted as Amethyst is and Opal can almost feel how she wants to put a hand on her friend shoulder in attempt to calm her down.

Opal is confused, and they are not explaining enough.

That’s usually bad.

She starts walking. To think that Garnet needs her for something is not that of a weird thing, she is often the one that ask for her help before her parts even think of fusing as an option. It might be because of future vision, but Opal likes to believe that the senior fusion enjoys having other of her kind by her side sometimes. Besides Steven, of course.

They are love fusions after all, both of the same kind. Opal is happy for both.

Love is a great feeling to be born of.

 

* * *

 

 

She searches, trying not to get more distracted in the way. It would be easy if she had any idea where to start, but none of her gems say a word to help. The silence is weird, and with the calm night around her, Opal believes that she could hear a raindrop fall. That again if there was any cloud in the sky. The moon is really pretty today, almost full but not there yet… oh, and the stars! So shiny and sparkling and.-

No, wait. Focus.

Garnet.

Gotta find Garnet

But… where?

Trying to think back, neither Amethyst nor Pearl know exactly why Garnet is nowhere to be found. Just bits and pieces, images saw from both her gems parts. Of tense shoulders, of grinding teeth, clenched hands and a harsh voice.

Something upset Garnet and they are worried about her. Yet Opal fails to get more information on the matter, as they claim they really don’t know what set her off like that.

“Like what?” Opal asks while she gets closer to one of the mountains.

“L-like…”

“She just…”

“And not even…”

“We didn’t…”

“I-I mean…”

_“Stop!”_

For just a second, is all quiet in her head again. It took her one moment to notice that she was the one that raised her voice.

Opal is confused

But at least she remained _fused_.

‘Ha, good one Opal’ came before the ‘Focus Opal’

She takes a deep breath, and asks again. “What set Garnet off?”

“… We are not sure” is the chorused answer.

A huff gets out of her nose before she even notices she did it. Not feeling really helpful today, aren’t they?

“She might not even want to be found…” Whispers Pearl, almost in a broken tone. Opal can almost feel Amethyst wants to hug herself.

So Opal does it, for the three of them.

She is by the mountain side now, going through it in a slow pace. Looking around and sometimes watching the stars. It is a wonderful night, too bad that she have to spend it doing this instead to stargaze and move and run and have some fun and maybe spend some time with Garnet.

Yeah, that would be great. She adore the other fusion, even if they only see each other a handful of times, Opal enjoys their reunion as much as the very few times she is allowed to be.

She misses Garnet.

The worry of Amethyst and Pearl doesn’t help to that her chest feels heavier the more her search fails. The more the moon moves tells her how much her quest is falling.

Signing, she sits in a rock nearby, letting her head rest on one set of hands while her elbows rest on her thighs. She has been searching for a couple of hours by the look at the moon.

She stands up again, if not, she might get lost looking at the stars.

“Maybe she really doesn’t want to…”

And then is when she sees it. She practically stumbled into it, almost tripping on a tree trunk.

There are trees ripped from the ground only to be found several meters away, broken and burnt. Pieces of earth shattered around. Cracks on the terrain, way too big and too new to be a coincidence. While she walks around the damaged zone she notices burns on the ground that are still smoking, rocks in the verge of melting, embers barely contained. Lighting marks spread around.

And worry washes through her, freezing all of them for a second.

Garnet

Where is Garnet?

She scrambles, searching for something, anything that could show her where her friend was. There were no shard, no gems, and no mark to follow around. Opal feels the panic coursing through her while she lifts effortlessly a rock. She has to be okay, she had to make it out of it, that’s why she send them back, right…? But what if she got cornered and overwhelmed? What if her shards are under a rock? What if Sapphire’s gem got cracked and Ruby’s wrath is the one that burned the land?

What if-

‘There!’

Opal is not sure who yelled, but she can’t be more relieved to be pointed out at something outside her panic. She swallows before looking, expecting more destruction that a sign of hope. She found none of them.

In the other side of the clearing, where the fight didn’t graze, there is a warm light. ‘… More fire?’ She asks herself disappointed. It looks like it for the little smoke trail that she now notices on the sky. She stands up and after an intake of breath to steady herself, she jumps that way.

‘It could be humans’ Says Pearl, wary, the destruction still clear on their collective minds.

‘She already flies, P. Let the bird do her thing’ Answer an amused Amethyst. She is trying to light up the mood, they all know, but Opal feels like grumping. And smiling.

So she does both. Glad to not be really alone in this.

Not a second after she lands close by the mountain side, but not that close to the light, listening to her inner Pearl and not wanting to cause a commotion if they are humans at all.

When she gets by the little cave though, she knows is not a human the one that lit the fire.

The fissure is small for her size, even more for Opal. Yet, if she wants to get inside and reach the other Gem, the fire will probably burn her if she tries. So she crouches down outside of it, still feeling the warm emitting from the blaze and smiles to her friend.

“Hello Garnet” Opal says relieved, she is fine.

Silence is the initial reply.

“Amethyst and Pearl told me to find you, did the fight tire you out?”

When only the cracks of the burning wood reply, she knows there is something wrong. She gets herself on her knees and takes a closer look at the Gem before her. Garnet has always be the image of strength, control and, lately, leadership. She is everything Opal hopes one day be, a fusion of love and care and communication.

Yet, now Garnet is in the far side of the little cave, sitting and hugging something like her life depended on it. Opal can’t be sure from where she is, but she is almost sure that the other fusion does not have her glasses on right now either. She calls for her one more time and winces when the answer to that are a sigh and the Gem before her hugging it tighter.

Seen her like this…

It breaks something within her.

Opal doesn’t notice when she starts moving, but suddenly she is trying to get inside the small cave and console her friend. Her size doesn’t help her at all, but the yelp she unconsciously makes when a flame almost touch her hand seems to do de trick.

The other fusion does not have her glasses on, she can now see. That and the exhausted expression on her friend face. She barely lifted her face just enough to look at Opal, still hugging the reddish bubble so close that the larger of the two feared something awful happened to herself or her gems in whatever battle happened before.

Both are the same thing now that she thinks about it but- wait, no… Focus Opal.

Garnet’s still looking at the pale gem, all three eyes focused on her, emitting a sadness and exhaust that Opal have never seen before coming from her.

The giant woman reaches out for her, careful to not burn her hand this time, and waits.

Her friend doesn’t move for a while, just looking at the hand presented before her for some good minutes. If she was human she is pretty sure that her arm would hurt by now, but she would endure it ten times and more for Garnet.

And before she notices, she feels a hand on hers.

Opal is always marveled by her hands and how she gives them, warm and careful and strong, yet only touching the other with her fingers unless needed otherwise. Provably for the location of her gems she is always cautious where to put them. But now, Opal notices with a little surprise, that Garnet’s right hand is fully on one of her lefts. Is the fact that the gem is freezing is what puts her on alert.

“That one’s always a bit cold” Is Garnet’s response to a question not yet asked.

Yet, it doesn’t convince Opal at all. She and her components have felt Garnet’s gems before, in fusion dances or in battle or even in the daily routine. Her gems are a bit different in temperature, true, but never in this extreme.

So Opal takes action. She pulls gently, trying to help Garnet out of the cave, and she thanks the stars above that the other cooperates. Her three eyes focus on the ground while she exits the cave. Careful to keep the bubble out of the fire and, as Opal notices, literally didn’t care that she stepped over the embers to get out of her hideout. ‘She is heat resistant, so it’s fine’, the fusion hears in the back of her mind; Amethyst and Pearl have decided to move there and don’t bother her while she deals with Garnet, yet watching with great attention.

She just wishes that she can help her friend.

“Is nothin’, don’t worry about it” Again, answering before even asking, which earns a frown from the tall fusion. They are still silent but Opal recognizes the avoidance, from memories of Pearl, of moments when Amethyst figures out things.

Avoidance she uses when there are indeed bad news.

“Garnet…” Opal coos, giving her hand a slight squeeze, turning it up so she can check on Sapphire’s gem. It’s unscratched, colder than it should be, but mostly fine.

“I’m fi-…” She tries again, but something on the bigger fusion stare while crouching down to get a better look stops her, or maybe she saw something, but Opal thinks she is just too tired to fight it.

Her other hand is holding the bubble and Opal gesture her to give it to her. Garnet frowns -she actually frowns at her, is just so odd looking at her without the glasses and is a tired little frown that even makes her third eye emote and her lips tighten a little bit- but in the end she indulges the four armed woman. Opal doesn’t send the bubble back just yet, she just hold it with one of her hands and inspect the gem on her palm.

If Sapphire was just freezing, Ruby’s Gem is blazing, soaring hot, slightly glowing in the night even. It burns her fingers tips with the bare touch, making Opal wince in surprise. Garnet moves her hand away, mumbling something alike an apologize.

Worry fills Opal once more, she can’t think of something that could have upset her friend so much. Battles barely perturb her. Solo missions always seem like a piece of cake for her.

Opal touches her cheek with one of her free hands, giving her a slight caress with her thumb. Garnet barely acknowledges this with an attempt of smile that doesn’t last much. Looking downcast, she looks tired, so so tired.

Realization blooms in her face and she quickly moves a hand to her face to summon her glasses. Yet they can’t hide the sudden blush on her cheeks. Or the way she almost stumbles on something while she took a step back to get her hand away.

“No no no no, please, Garnet” She crouches just enough so she is at eye level with Garnet, taking her glasses out of her face with all the caring she can muster, finding no resistance to the action “Please… Don’t... Don’t shut me out…”

Silence.

“Garnet, please… tell me what is wrong…?” She tries again, struggling between giving her some space and getting her in her arms and never let her go, not until her pain fades from her eyes.

“That…” She says with a rough, pained voice, pausing to try again, softer this time “That’s what is wrong…”

Confused, Opal looks at everywhere before remembering the bubble in her hands.

The bubble is a reddish maroon, like all the ones Garnet makes and it has a Gem inside. No, wait… it has three gems. A whole gem and two gems mutants… Opal can’t be so sure which are the colors with this light and the color of the bubble, but she could bet those are red gems, the cut, she is not sure on the experiments, maybe it was squared at some point and… and shards. Those are shards glued to the red, almost whole gems, lighter and of a different color.

“Fusion experiments…?” Ask Opal with grief, aware now of what kind of pain her friend is going through and filled with a sense of repulsion herself.

“Yes” Is the weak response. Yet, it still doesn’t make any sense, why is Garnet so upset about this, they must have bubbled at least a dozen of those by now and she never ever affected by it, then why…?

The realization hit one of them faster than the others

‘… Those are Rubies’

**Author's Note:**

> Found this between my files and decide it to give it a shot instead of letting it rot in a folder. Should have a second chap in the works when i finish all my finals.


End file.
